Compiled by Howard Israel
S/He Said
"If you care about gay rights, you'll skip the Salvation Army buckets in favor of a charity that doesn't actively discriminate against the LGBT community. The Salvation Army has a history of active discrimination against gays and lesbians. While you might think you're helping the hungry and homeless by dropping a few dollars in the bright red buckets, not everyone can share in the donations. Many LGBT people are rejected by the evangelical church charity because they're 'sexually impure.' The organization has a record of actively lobbying governments worldwide for anti-gay policies – including an attempt to make consensual gay sex illegal. I've seen the discrimination the Salvation Army preaches first hand. When a former boyfriend and I were homeless, the Salvation Army insisted we break up before they'd offer assistance."
-Bil Browning, blog founder/editor in chief, in his column titled "Why You Shouldn't Donate to the Salvation Army Bell Ringers," http://www.bilerico.com, Nov. 21.
"This isn't the life I want, but it's the life I've got, and I can't let the life I've got kill me before I get the life I want."
-Juan Gallaher, 21-year-old, a homeless, FTM transgender person, homeless and abused as a child, former ward of the state, he lost his apartment and his subsidies because he is no longer eligible for services from the Illinois child welfare system, in an article titled "Homeless Youth Struggles to Build a Life in Chicago," http://www.nytimes.com, Nov. 26.
"New research has found that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth who attend middle or high schools with Gay-Straight Alliances have better mental health as young adults, are less likely to drop out of high school, and more likely to attend college. This is the first study to show that GSA participation is related to long-term benefits."
-In a press release, about a study titled "High School Gay-Straight Alliances and Young Adult Well-Being: An examination of GSA presence, participation, and perceived effectiveness," co-authored by Stephen T. Ruessell and Dr. Caitlin Ryan, based on a survey of 245 LGBT young adults, ages 21-25, compiled by the Family Acceptance Project at SF State University, http://www.rennacommunications.com, Nov. 15.
"This study adds to the mounting evidence that youth-led clubs are important for healthy development – especially for youth at risk. For LGBT youth, high school gay-straight alliances make a significant positive difference. This new study on the benefits of GSAs to health and education adds to our growing understanding of the importance of social environments and the need to provide institutional support for LGBT youth to promote well-being in adulthood."
-Stephen T. Russell and Dr. Caitlin Ryan, co-authors of "High School Gay-Straight Alliances and Young Adult Well-Being," http://www.rennacommunications.com, Nov. 15.
